St Petersburg, Russia

Tag by Nathalie from Russia (Postcrossing forum - Festival, happenings etc.).

St Petersburg in winter

Decembrist's Square. The Statue of Peter the Great (The "Bronze Horseman")

The Bronze Horseman is an impressive monument to the founder of St Petersburg, Peter the Great. The monument was built by order of the Empress Catherine the Great as a tribute to her famous predecessor on the Russian throne, Peter the Great. Being a German princess by birth, she was eager to establish a line of continuity with the earlier Russian monarchs. For that reason an inscription on the monument reads in Latin and Russian: Petro Primo Catharina Secunda - To Peter the First from Catherine the Second.

Dolomites, Italy

Another card from my friend Susanna (Postcrossing - Swap).

DOLOMITI UNESCO's World Heritage Site

Val Gardena - Selva - Castel Gardena

The Dolomites are a section of the Alps. They are located for the most part in the province of Belluno, the rest in the provinces of Bolzano-Bozen and Trento (all in north-eastern Italy).

The name "Dolomites" is derived from the famous French mineralogist Déodat Gratet de Dolomieu who was the first to describe the rock, dolomite, a type of carbonate rock which is responsible for the characteristic shapes and colour of these mountains; previously they were called the "pale mountains," and it was only in the early 19th century that the name was Gallicized.

Maldives

A postcard from my Japanese friend, Yu, who recently moved to Maldives.

Brisbane, Australia

Tag by Christine (Australia/NZ to the rest of the world tag on Postcrossing forum).

Aerial view of Brisbane River and City featuring Story Bridge.

Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has an approximate population of 2 million. A resident of Brisbane is commonly known as a "Brisbanite".

* Brisbane is named after the river on which it sits which, in turn, was named after Sir Thomas Brisbane, the Governor of New South Wales from 1821 to 1825.

* The Story Bridge is a cantilever bridge spanning the Brisbane River. Part of Bradfield Highway, it connects Fortitude Valley to Kangaroo Point. Before the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1932 the Government of Queensland asked John Bradfield to design a new bridge in Brisbane. The bridge is named for John Douglas Story.

Leipzig, Germany

Swap with Detlef from Germany (Postcrossing - Swap).

Leipzig's Christmas market, which dates back to 1767, is held on the magnificent market square against the backdrop of the old town hall.

Tyumen, Russia

Tag by Olga (Postcrossing forum - night view or day view tag).

Novorossiysk, Russia

3 cards from Elena (Postcrossing - Swap).

1. Trade centre "Gelendhzik" - 2. Rest without trouble - 3. Shady avenue

Arkhangelsk - Lenin Square

This building is called "Vysotka" (a house with several levels). There are 22 levels.

Moscow - The Kremlin at night